Ethics Committee Suspends Investigation of Rep. Maxine Waters
Waters (D-Calif.) has been the target of a probe looking into her financial involvement in a bank that received significant aid from the 2008 government TARP bailout.
House ethics rules state that a member of Congress cannot accrue any benefits from powers exerted through any committee; Waters is a senior member on the House Financial Services Committee.
Waters has denied pushing for any special funding to be funneled toward OneUnited bank, on which her husband once served as a board member.
"Decisions about who to fund [with TARP] were made by the FDIC and by the Treasury Department," Waters told ABC's "Good Morning America.
The announcement comes one day after the ethics committee recommended Rep. Charles Rengel be censured by the full House for a multitude of violations.
It is likely that this change in scheduling will delay any action until the new Congress convenes next year. Waters represents California's 35th congressional district, which covers parts of Los Angeles County.
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